Dr. Oz says schools can return despite possibly costing ‘2 to 3%’ of lives

The popular TV doc says that getting kids back to schools may be more important to some than lives lost

Apr 16, 2020

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Dr. Mehmet Oz, known as America’s doctor, suggested that millions of lives were worth losing in exchange for schools reopening and allowing the nation to get its “mojo back.”

As the global shutdown of non-essential businesses drags on and the world reels under stay-at-home and social distancing orders, there is increased pressure on governments to re-open businesses and schools. Oz gave a jaw-dropping interview on Fox News’ Hannity show Wednesday night where he implied that reopening schools was important, despite any “theoretical” loss of life.

“Schools are a very appetizing opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3%, in terms of total mortality. Any, you know, any life is a life lost, but … that might be a tradeoff some folks would consider,” he said.

“Any life is a life lost, but to get every child back into a school where they’re safely being educated, being fed and making the most out of their lives with a theoretical risk on the backside, that might be a tradeoff some folks would consider.”

He quoted an article in The Lancet, a child and adolescent scientific health journal. On April 8, it noted that “188 countries have implemented country-wide school closures, but a modelling study by Ferguson and colleagues concluded that in the U.K., school closures alone will reduce COVID-19 deaths by only 2-4%.”

DR OZ: “Schools are a very appetizing opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3%, in terms of total mortality. Any, you know, any life is a life lost, but … that might be a tradeoff some folks would consider.” ? pic.twitter.com/aifMeKTsIv

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 16, 2020

A closer read of the article suggests that Dr. Oz simply misread the research, which states that schools offer at-risk children protections against hunger, abuse. Furthermore, closing schools in other areas has only stopped the virus’ spread to 2-4% of the population.

So far, children are not known to fall seriously ill even if they test positive for the COVID-19 virus. However, they have been viewed as effective spreaders if infected.

As could be expected, the clip, which has been viewed 2.5 million times on social media, generated instant backlash.

That’s 6.5 million to 11.5 million dead Americans

— Amy Siskind ?️‍? (@Amy_Siskind) April 16, 2020

https://twitter.com/ApolloBratton/status/1250807829847515138

https://twitter.com/BetNotagain/status/1250853032130117632

The Lancet article goes on to say that children may suffer adverse social, mental and physical health issues if made to stay out of school for long periods. They suggest looking at alternative ways to bring children back to school including reduced hours and staggered lessons.

Oz has since walked back his comments.

I’ve realized my comments on risks around opening schools have confused and upset people, which was never my intention. I misspoke. pic.twitter.com/Kq1utwiCjR

— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) April 16, 2020